


The last time

by orphan_account



Category: Revolution (TV)
Genre: F/M, Revo Redux Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-05
Updated: 2014-04-05
Packaged: 2018-01-18 05:21:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1416589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They had to choose.  Follow the front out and wage war wherever they would find it or stay in Willoughby and learn how to make peace. The only thing was...neither Bass or Miles had much talent for that kind of peacemaking and every corner of this small town seemed steeped in reminders of what they had done here. Trained in acts of war it seemed that it was all they were good for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The last time

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Revo Redux Challenge to fill the prompt: Miles takes both Bass and Charlie with him, the next time he runs...
> 
> I will have to forgo the bonus point on offer for getting them to end up working in a bar/ tavern. Couldn't make it happen!

 

Bass was brittle these days. Like glass. He was vile, venomous, and v...v...v..villainous. Charlie rolled words starting with v to describe Monroe around her tongue, while she sat on the edge of her grandfather's front yard watching the day to day activity of a town putting itself back together. Willoughby was starting to assert itself with town councils, plans being drawn up, meetings be held. A v...v...veritable (vigorous?) hive of activity. 

For someone like Charlie it was kind of dull. Charlie entertained herself by watching Bass being mean spirited and hugely, hugely bad tempered. Everyone was being alienated. Those who had heeded his call, seeking the glamour and energy of the fallen dictator were keeping their distance now. He was spitting mad, poisonously mean.

God, she was bored. Not even the v words could distract her for long. She watched as Bass walked grimly towards the bar at the centre of town pretending to ignore her as he walked past. Other times he couldn't keep his eyes off her. She never knew which it was going to be or which she wanted it to be.

It was confusing as hell.

After a bloody fight they had liberated the town of Willoughby from the Patriots and set the scene for the surrounding towns to do the same. Each day word came in from towns asking for help, advice, reinforcements. Slowly but surely a resistance to the Patriots dominance in the region was being eked out. 

Councils and alliances were forming. The remnants of Duncan's war tribe and the rest of the fighters they had cobbled together looked naturally to Monroe for leadership. Charlie and Miles had stood together watching Bass as he wrestled with his decision. Connor bouncing foot to foot, eagerly waiting for his father to stake his claim.

'I can't do this.' 

Bass said it so quietly for a moment no one really registered. Standing next to Miles, Charlie was the only one who felt Miles' knees buckle slightly. Relief coursing through them both. She had grabbed his arm and held on tight. Breathless. Hope raging through her chest making her heart thunder.

'What are you talking about?' Connor demanded as Bass began to walk away. 'This is yours, let's do this.' He caught his father by the shoulder and pulled him around.

But Bass pushed past him and walked away saying nothing. Only Charlie and Miles realised how close they had come to disaster. She and Miles stayed close to Bass and Connor as they argued it out that night. It was an awful fight. Bitter and full of recrimination. Emma. Connor left with the first group of 'soldiers' heading north. Hadn't looked back.

Bass had been broken ever since. Drinking himself into a stupor and raging at anyone who crossed his path. Fewer and fewer people dared to anymore. He had an uncanny ability to ferret out a persons secret soft spot, hidden shame or most guilt inducing failures and bring it into conversation like pressing a bruise or picking a scab. Charlie and Miles were his easiest prey. He understood them both too well. Unlike all the others they still sought him out no matter how unpleasant his bitchy snarling became.

Vile, venomous.....

They had to choose. Follow the front out and wage war wherever they would find it or stay in Willoughby and learn how to make peace. The only thing was...neither Bass or Miles had much talent for that kind of peacemaking and every corner of this small town seemed steeped in reminders of what they had done here. Trained in acts of war it seemed that it was all they were good for. Devastation, Distruction. D..d.d...

Charlie sighed. Fucking words starting with d now? She was so bored. She hopped off the front step and walked towards the bar where she was bound to find Bass and maybe Miles drinking steadily. Sometimes together. They were often bad company but company nonetheless. Things with Rachel were, well, just impossible. Taut and too far gone. Miles and Rachel had been steadily falling apart too. Without the threat of imminent danger, the rush of battle, all the risks, they had somehow ceased to make sense. Run out of steam. Gene was keeping himself busy with the town. Double lives, double histories all of them.

Charlie pushed through the door into the bar. Today it was just Bass and he wasn't looking ...fun. Great.

'Well, Charlotte...now that Connor's gone have you come looking for someone to take his place?' Bass rumbled at her from behind a bottle of whisky.

'No, Monroe, but thank you for asking.'

He grunted.

'Look, Monroe, I'm sorry Connor didn't stay...'

'Don't worry your self about that Charlie.' He interrupted loudly. 'Not even I'm pig headed enough to believe he left because you wouldn't put out anymore... as good as you must have been..' He added spitefully. 

'Nice.'

He poured her a drink. Regarded her steadily over the top of his glass. Waited.

She sighed.

'Well?'

'What?'

'Well, why are you looking at me like that? Spit it out' he said roughly.

'It's just...I don't know...Miles is acting weird.'

'Christ Charlie, Miles, Miles, Miles. When are you going to get this? Miles is acting like the General Matheson we once knew and loved. He's making decisions, forming plans. Taking charge.'

'No, not that. I keep seeing him looking at me, and then at you.'

It sounded silly even to her. Bass tipped his drink at her as if to salute her.

'Thank you for letting me know that Charlie. I'm sure I'll sleep well tonight knowing that Miles looked at me and then.... at you.' 

''Okay, okay, Bass, never mind.'

'No it was a great talk Charlie, one of your best. Let's just recap, shall we? Miles is being himself, Connor has fucked off somewhere but, lucky for me, you're still here wanting to chat it all over.'

'You're an asshole.'

'Oh well.'

 

Charlie had pulled off her boots and was shrugging off her jacket when Bass staggered home that night. No matter he acted as though he hated to love them both, he lived his life close to them. Charlie, Miles and Bass had been sleeping in the downstairs rooms of an old house on the very edge of Willoughby for a few weeks. Charlie and Miles sat on the top steps leading to the back door as Bass lunged towards the bottom step and looked around with a smug drunk smile of satisfaction when he sat without stumbling.

'Bass, glad you are here, was just about to come look for you. Need to talk to you both' said Miles.

'By all means, chat away.' said Bass blearily. 'It will be my second lovely chat with the Partridge family today. Hello world, hear the song that we're singing....C'mon, get happy...' he sang. 'People will think I'm hogging you.' He eyed them with the overly careful look of a man pretending not to be utterly drunk. 

God knows why he bothered. Miles ignored him.

'I need you two to pack your bags. There is a job we need to do, we need to head out of town for a while.'

'What, Miles have the good people of Willoughby decided I'm not wanted and they want you to lead me out of town like some kind of pied piper?'

'Nope. Just a job that needs doing, pack your crap.' He nodded at Charlie. 'We leave tonight.'

'Where are we going?'

'I'll explain it all later'.

An hour later they slipped out of town.

 

The dull thud of sobering up hit Bass within a few hours. He kept up a constant complaining monologue for the few hours after that, berating himself for just following Miles plans as always, berating Miles for having plans and refusing to discuss them. Finally he fell silent. 

A monstrous hangover caught Bass the following day. Withdrawals making him tremble and sweat. He was even more difficult than usual. Miles led them north west and they kept out of sight. Later that day Miles asked Charlie to go into the next town to buy supplies. In the local store she stared hard at the liquor on sale, wondering if a small bottle would be a kindness to Bass and Miles. She decided against it. Miles and Bass silently catalogued her haul, bread, bacon, a hard round of cheese and apples. They said nothing about the lack of whisky though she knew they noticed. They kept going.

It took a couple more days for Bass' head to clear enough to confront Miles about what they were doing. Miles did his best to wriggle out of the conversation. 

'Let's talk about it later, after we eat.'

'Miles, maybe Charlie is used to you keeping her in the dark but you need to give me some reason to keep walking. Otherwise I'm out.'

'Hey, leave me out of it.' Charlie said. Crouched by the fire blowing on sparks to get it started she fed in twigs and small branches of leaves. 'I'm just happy to be on the move again.'

Miles' smile wobbled a little at this.

'Miles, Jesus, just tell us.'

Miles sat down on the opposite side of the fire and spread his hands out to warm them. Those two sets of eyes trained on him. Guilt flashed across his face.

'Miles!' shouted Bass.

Again Miles said nothing.

'Christ, I've had it, I'm leaving.' Bass roared.

Miles stood and looked at Bass glaring at him over the fire. Guilt and worry all over him. Something in his face stopped Bass in his tracks.

"My god, I've seen that look before.' Bass whispered.

'What look?' Charlie stood and peered at Miles. 'What?'

'Holy shit Miles, are you serious?'

'What...What?' Charlie asked.

'Are you running again?'

Miles looked up at the sky and huffed out heavily.

'No. I'm not.' The words hung in the air between the three of them. 'We are.'

Bass sat down with a thump.

 

No one said anything. Just stared at Miles until he was twitching nervously and fidgeting with his boots.

'Look, I needed to go. You needed to go. Charlie needed to go.'

They looked at him. Disbelief on their faces. Charlie couldn't think of anything to say at all.

'Are you fucking serious?' Bass asked finally.

'Look, the last time I left I did it all wrong. It broke me. It broke you Bass. I couldn't do that again.'

Bass started to laugh and Charlie turned towards him in surprise. He hadn't laughed for weeks but this was an unhappy, mocking sound and his mouth was twisted unhappily.

'I'm sorry.' Miles said quietly.

Bass stood and walked away from the fire. 

'Do you think he'll be back?' Charlie asked a few minutes later.

'Left his pack.' Miles grunted. 'What about you Charlie? Are you going to stay?'

'I'm surprised is all..... I don't know what to think. I think I might be okay with it.' She laughed. 'I had absolutely nothing better to do and... you and Bass.... well, you are....you. Who else do I have?'

'Yeah, me too. You and Bass.'

'Let's eat anyway...he'll be back later.'

They started pulling food out to make dinner.

Bass walked back into camp an hour later. He caught Charlie's eye and held her regard for a while. Saying nothing he pulled out his sleeping bag and turned his back to Miles to lie down to sleep. 

 

In the morning Bass kept to himself while Miles and Charlie packed up their things.

Charlie waded in.

'So, Bass?'

He pushed off the ground where he was squatting beside his pack and pulled Charlie into a long hard hug. It was strange, but she put her arms around him and breathed into his neck, breathed in the smell of him, holding him hard too. She let her fingers tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck. After a moment of just holding on he pulled back and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. They swayed together for just a bit. He let his arms drop to his sides and turned to face Miles. 

Christ, was he saying goodbye?

'This is the last time Miles. The last time you run. I'm not saying I wanted to stay in Willoughby anymore than you did. Or that I had it in me to keep on fighting. But you don't run again. If Charlie and I are coming with you that's what we both need to hear.'

Charlie breathed in sharply.

Miles closed his eyes tight. Nodding because he knew this.

'You have my word. The last time.'

No one said anything for a long few moments. Bass watched Miles carefully and whatever he saw there must have been enough. Finally Bass nodded and returned to packing his things.

Charlie couldn't help it. She beamed at them both.

Miles nodded back, a smile cracking his face.

They all relaxed slightly. A tiny smile from Bass. Not much. But it was something.

They picked up their bags and started walking.

 

Later that day Charlie was thinking out loud.

'So what are we going to do?'

'Head to California, the coast.' Bass said.

'Open a bar.' Miles added nodding slowly.

Charlie groaned. 'A bar.' Doubt heavy in her voice. She looked between them eyebrows raised.

Bass looked abashed.

'Charlie's not wrong, Miles.'

'We can talk about it later.'

'Yeah, yeah Miles, we know what that means.' Bass laughed but he sounded happier this time.

Charlie laughed too.

'Yeah, we all know what that means.'


End file.
